I love toddler-hood.

Let me repeat: I LOVE toddler-hood, or whatever this stage is officially called by the Parenting magazines. By far my favorite stage so far. Call me crazy, but I don't mind the tantrums. I view it as an unavoidable by-product to all the awesome conversation, fun times and amazement this child brings me and her daddy.
As her vocabulary develops and personality blossoms each day, we are constantly glancing each other's way with the proudest grins. The things she absorbs are phenomenal!
And to watch the world unfold before her eyes is so awesome to watch. It's hilarious how literally she interprets everything and how much she mimics what she sees from others.
Her growing independence is bitter sweet sometimes, but its also so neat to watch.
She is so smart and VERY people-pleasing. Never meets a stranger and is friendly all of the time. Outgoing would be a good word and border line loud sometimes. She knows her manners and uses  "please" and "thank you" often. I love it when she says " thanks mom, you're the best" 

She's not a scaredy cat and has never been a fall down and cry kind of kid. Tough as nails and up for adventure. She is pretty darn funny too; I can see her being the class clown. Whenever she thinks me or Casey is upset with her, she'll do something silly to distract us and then say " are you happy? "

Yes baby, we are very happy.
She's very independent and loves the phrase " I can do it by myself". She likes to pretend she gets spooked so she can run to you with a huge grin and say 'save me! save me!'
Turning into a daddy's girl more and more everyday. Don't get me wrong - she loves her mamma, but when daddy gets home she absolutely lights up! And I'm usually not allowed to play with them once they start a game session. I'll try to join the fun and she'll say - "mom, can you go to the living room please.."
Finnnne.
But I get it, her dad is pretty awesome. I like him all to myself sometimes too.

Overall, this whole kid thing is pretty stinking fun right now. She's our buddy now, getting excited about where we go and what our plans are.

We couldn't ask for a cuter partner-in-crime.

Dear child

A quick note to our second child

Today is July 2,2015 and we’re about to head to doctor for our mid-term sonogram to find out if you are a boy or a girl. And your mamma is NERVOUS. I’ve only got one more hour to count down the time and my mind is spinning out of control with thoughts.

Not really for any reason that I can pinpoint besides that our storybook will get another sentence added to it that will shape our family forever.

Elise has a little brother. Or : Elise has a little sister.

The dynamics of our family will be forever changed.

Will we be a house full of girls that will drive daddy crazy and steal his heart all at the same time?

Will we be the ‘perfect’ nuclear family with one boy and one girl?

I kind of love the thought of both scenarios. Either option seems so magical and awesome, we can’t go wrong either way. Its just I’m still nervous with what your dad calls “anxious anticipation”

Just know we love you. You are coming into a world to three people who already ADORE you. Your sister loves to blow bubbles on my belly and insists that you are laughing. She’s pretty sure that she already cracks you up. Wait until you get out here and meet her. She’s awesome.

What’s crazy Is that most people are so worried about finding out if it’s a boy or girl at this appointment that they often overlook that this sonogram will reveal a lot about your health as well. We get to verify those two sweet arms and two sweet legs. We’ll get to see all the chambers of your heart and your growing brain. For some reason, I feel certain you are going to be perfectyly fine. Maybe its my trust in the Lord and all he has already blessed us with or the fact that you have been such an easy baby already. This pregnancy has been a cake walk. Minimal nausea, only a week or two of extreme fatigue, and not too much weight gain! You’re my pal already ;)

 

Can't wait to meet you soon!

Love, Mommy

Rolling On

What's funny is (and I think I've said this before) I originally created this "family blog" to be able to post about my child all the time. Then I actually had our child and now I never post...Then once I get so behind, I feel like I can't catch up thus starts the cycle of non-posting. I may eventually go backwards one day and fill in the blank spots but today we are just going to talk about recent stuff. We are "rolling on"

Here's what is new with our family:
1. Let's just get me and Casey's updates out of the way so we can concentrate on Elise. ( I know that's what you came for here anyways) I am still working at the Lasik Eye surgery facility as the business manager. Love my job with every inch of my heart and could not be more glad that I made the change to get out of the banking business. Casey is still the branch manager at Citibank and rocking out the management position. He is the perfect combination of common sense and hard work ethic that every employee respects. BB&T just recently bought out Citibank's branches in our area and after losing about a night's worth of sleep we realized it was actually going to be a great change for Casey. Less conference calls and 'corporate-world B.S.' and more benefits, respect and community values. The merger will happen in May.
2. Elise is 16 months old and adorably feisty! (just like her momma?) She is a busy body, the captain of destruction and the best snuggle buddy. The trick is getting her varying personality degrees to coincide with the appropriate setting. For instance- she RARELY/NEVER wants to snuggle in church. That is when she wants to socialize, crawl all around, tear paper and wave hello to strangers. And she ALWAYS wants to snuggle while mommy is folding laundry or making dinner. Pretty funny
3. She recently went to her first dentist appointment and did great! She has 8 teeth total and like 5 more teeth coming in all at once. Our pediatric dentist is actually a friend of ours so the experience was super pleasant.
4. Last night we taught Elise how to bowl with some plastic princess set that I got from Ross. If she didn't get the ball to hit the pins, she would just walk over and knock them all down with her hands. We clapped anyways.
5. She currently sleeps from 7:30pm-6:30am every night. It is so amazing to report this! I thought we would never be able to say things like that but here we are! We have a set bed time routine that includes books with both parents a quick rock in her room and putting her in her bed drowsy. It's amazing, I'm not going to lie.
6. She recognizes the songs: "Itsy Bitsy Spider & Patty Cake" can sort of do the motions but loves to watch us do them. She also likes watching American Idol and standing in front of the TV swaying back and forth as the contestants sing.
7. She is really, really, really into animals right now. Books about them, videos about them, seeing them outside, or talking about them. She can point to : dogs, cats, birds, lions, tigers, ducks, fish, bears, elephants, pandas and of course horses. She LOVES horses. probably going to have to do a whole separate post about horses.
8. We love her to the moon and back. She squeals and dances every time Casey walks through the door in the evenings. she is never shy to give hugs and loves to lay on top of you on the floor. We're still working on the whole kisses thing. She'll blow kisses, but she's not too keen on the mouth part ... maybe we have bad breath...

Elise and I at Light Pediatric Dentistry. This is our friend, Candace. Elise doesn't look happy, but I swear she was!

Playing at a local restaurant

Adorable shot from the park the other day

From our ice day the other morning. Mommy and Elise took our time getting ready and ate breakfast like big girls at her little table. She was pumped as you can tell. 

Told you she loves horses

Snuggle time with daddy

More snuggles - think this was from Thanksgiving 

Park Day!

Sleeping angel

A year in Reflections

When we were in the first 4 weeks of Elise's life, I thought it was the hardest. I felt like one day during the second month of her life, I finally "woke up" and felt a tiny bit like a human again. Once we reached the 6 month mark, I thought we had cleared another big hurdle. We had gone through our first winter chock full of day-care colds. I was still breastfeeding but I could see the light at the end. Now that One year has come and gone, I feel like we have survived the hardest year of our life. All the consecutive nights of sleeplessness are behind us, my child can be mobile on her own, she can eat everything we eat, and is starting to communicate with us.(Mom's who have gone through the terrible two's and teenage years will probably laugh at me because they know better.) HOWEVER since I only have the experiences that I have been through, I can only surmise we have accomplished something great. Allow me to be bold and boast that we have survived the first year of parenthood!!!

I'll pause for your applause.

Although I 1000% realize that I will one day look back on this and laugh at how much I.did.NOT.Know, I kind of feel confident right now. (Which is a huge new breakthrough.) But before I go and get a big head, let's talk about some exciting things I learned over the last year:

1. You cannot spoil an infant. Hold the baby 24/7 for the first 2 months of it's life and it will still want to wiggle out of your arms as soon as it becomes mobile.
2. It is extremely hard to change a baby's bed with baby bumpers on. Do you take the bumpers off everytime you wash sheets? No, you just jam your fingers trying to wedge that stupid crib mattress down. I count it as a 15 minute workout everytime I do it.
3. Baby wipes are multi-purpose. They can clean a bottom, take makeup off without a problem and even wipe down bathroom counters in a pinch.
4. A full baby is a happy baby. Just feed the baby first and if that doesn't work - work down the list of other qualms.
5. Your hormones rage for much longer than just during pregnancy. I'm going to venture out and say mine are still not the same as pre-pregnancy. I think it has something to do with the massive amount of love that pours out of your heart and the expansive amount of responsibility you are thrown into. Bad combo.
6. Being a mother has given me a LOT more grace towards society as a whole. ESPECIALLY other mom's. I will never judge another mother again. As long as she is trying, she's allright by me. None of us know what the hell we're doing and to judge another mother based on how much of a mess her child is, how loud they are or what brand of diapers they wear is ridiculous. Being a mother is an excellent tool that God uses to humble women. I trully believe that.
"Oh, you're a hot woman in your twenties with a fantastic job and walk around extremely self-centered???BOOM! Here's a kid. Lessons learned."
7. Becoming a mother made me a little bit of a road-rager. Never before did I get angry when driving, but if I'm on my way to pick up my child and there is a traffic jam? Move over buddy! You've got one hot momma on your hands!
8. Having children at approximately the same time as your friends is a must. We would not have survived the first year with any dose of sanity had we not had fellow 'trainees' to swap stories with and cry with. 

Google

So I realize that the internet cannot solve all our problems. but since I'm from a generation where it is a fast resource tool, I find myself using it more than referring to books. And to my sweet surprise, I realized my phone keeps a record of my recent 'search' history. Hooray! Now I have a way to chronicle all the uncertainty that I have navigated on this road called motherhood. : )
Apparently my phone only goes back 6 months, but this is the list since March. Man, I wish I could see what I searched during the first few months of Elise's life.

Kristi's internet searches in March 24th, 2013. All of these are absolutely true and hilarious
Enjoy!

• Red spots on baby's bottom
• fisher price toys
• hormone crash after stop breastfeeding
• Ear infections
• Post-weaning blues
• how long does baby ear infection last
• how many ounces should a baby have in a day
• feeding tips 
• phone apps for parents
• University Pediatric Association
• kayro syrup and babies ?
• when baby's poop texture changes
• Little Bunny Foo-Foo Lyrics
• how to stop co-sleeping
• I suck at letting my baby cry-it out
• Lollacup
• 8 month old will not sleep
• sleeping in your babies crib
• ways to get your baby to sleep
• Prayers for mothers
• baby ear wax
• baby sleep training
• cry-it-out methods
• working mothers guilt
• my 10 month old has an attitude
• far-sightedness in infants
• glasses for children
• Toddler nap guide
• benefits of in-home child care

Baby proofing - Zimmerman Style

Check out all the new additions to our house :)

Baby gate strategically around the dog food because we've learned that Elise really likes that stuff! 

Baby gate around the entire TV area - because it's just easier than saying "NO" two thousand times a day 

Bouncer still in front of the fireplace even though she hasn't used it in months. All because it distracts her from the ACTUAL fireplace and all the danger there. 

Adult items on top, baby things on bottom. Now mommy doesn't care what gets pulled off and thrown on the floor 

Obviously. I mean, what are we - amateurs? 

Toys just line the walls!

I thought having baby stuff everywhere would annoy me, but instead I love it!

More toys - These are lining the walls of our bedroom. All beautiful distractions for a very curious girl. This stuff buys mommy at least 20 minutes to put on make up in the morning 

Hard to tell, but this exer-saucer is up on its side hiding a huge pile of cords and computer accessories. So clever!

What a working mom looks like

In our house, a working mom: 

Hasn't gotten her hair cut in over 6 months because...well... I guess it just hasn't made it to the top of the list yet. 

Spends her lunch breaks doing laundry, grocery shopping and stocking the toy chest so that she can give her full attention to baby in the evenings

Cleans her floor for different reasons. Not so company will compliment her mad housekeeping skills, but so her daughter can crawl anywhere she wants without rolling in dog hair

Goes running BEFORE work because this baby fat ain't coming off on its own and there's too much fun to be had in the evenings to consider working out then

Takes help from her parents! My mom has cooked 3 meals a week for us since they moved here. I'm not ashamed- I'm proud!! My poor husband would have been eating sandwiches this whole time had it not been from our helpers! 

In our house, a working mom: 

Is secretly happy breast feeding is over-Pumping in a closet at work can really get old!! 

Has amped up her prayer life to a new level- I like to think I have my own personal 'angel fleet' watching over Elise all day and night. The chief angels? My grandmother and Casey's nanny.

Has learned to squeeze 'date night' in with the hubby in just 2 hours after baby girl is asleep. No roses and movies needed. Just laughter and cuddling makes the parenting world go round.

Is still figuring out how to balance all aspects of life. Props to moms with multiple kids! Wife,mom, employee... Sheesh! There's a lot to do.

Realizes parenting is the toughest job you'll ever love

Ten Months

Likes: vegetables, drinking out of her sippy cup, watching her puppies, being chased by mommy and daddy, reading books, pulling books off the bookshelf, being told 'no' so that she can shake her head, smile and then do what she's not supposed to.

Does not like: getting into the car seat, having things taken away from her, when mommy won't pick her up upon demand, sleeping with a blanket, waking up

Things that suprise mommy and daddy: How quickly she learns, the random nuances that she has genetically inherited from us (who knew certain things could even be passed down!?!?!?). That a 10 month old can have so many preferences, and that having a kid can simultaneously be the best and hardest thing on your marriage.

Lessons I did not realize I would learn

Being a first time mother, I am 100% aware there are things that I am naive about. Every day I'm introduced to something else that I had no idea about in regards to parenting and motherhood. Even though I knew I didn't know everything there was to being a mother, I still wanted to 'figure it out on my own'.

I just recently discovered that is an idiotic way to think.

Prior to this recent revelation, I almost always questioned friends and family members when they told me things about children. Little antedots, or lessons...advice, etc. I would be prideful and think "that won't happen to us" or "I'm not like that" or my favorite "My kid won't do THAT"

SO.Stupid.

I will now be quiet and listen intently anytime one of these mothers speak. Time and time again, I have been caught with my foot in my mouth as I am sitting in the moment that one of these wise women have told me I would be in... and I think to myself 'Yup, this is what they were talking about... '
Mother's would tell me that babies don't need to be entertained when they are newborns. There are no lessons to teach them or games to play. Crazy Kristi thought: Horse Radish! I insisted on having toys infront of Elise's face anytime her eyes were open. I can't just let her LAY there. I mean good grief,there is so much to teach her! Oh, what a silly mom I am. Once she actually became active and attentative I realized quickly that there was no way she was paying attention to me before. Heck, She was probably scared to death of me for always being in her face! I'm sure she was thinking: Just let me figure out how to eat and breath mom! Can we cool it on the lesson over colors and shapes?!?! Sheesh!

I also thought everyone was exagerating on the amount of diapers that babies went through. Why would the entire world (including renowned authors) lie about such a fact? I have no idea, but I just couldn't fathom going through 15 diapers a day! Lesson learned.

I was told by multiple mother friends that you have to "train" your child to sleep. (If you aren't one of the lucky few who have a kid that shoots out of the womb already knowing how to sleep 8 hours thru the night) I spent the first 9 months of my child's life convincing myself that our kid was different. Altough she was a TERRIBLE sleeper, I just knew that one day she would grow out of it and just casually crawl herself into her bedroom, ask to be put in her crib and fall soundly asleep while humming the tunes of a beautiful church hymn. Ok that is a little far-fetched, but I just KNEW that I wouldn't have to make my daughter cry to get her to see she could sleep on her own. I just KNEW that she would out grow her need to be patted down every 45 minutes. And once again, I was wrong. Should have listened to all those seasoned mothers and sleep trained Elise 5 months ago. Would have saved alot of sanity and tears.Both for the baby AND the parents! My mom and dad actually had to do it for us, because we couldn't handle to hear her cry (seperate blog post on this upcoming). Regardless of who did it, the fact was that it actually had to be done. And now we are all happier and healthier for it.

The sleep thing was one of the last real good lessons I recieved. The lesson: Listen to your fellow mothers!!!(or the ones who have done it before). Save yourself the grief and just follow their advice. They've already scouted out the territory for you. For once in your life as a mom, take the easy road!

Birthday Party Time!

Recently I was engulfed in planning Elise's first birthday party. Mid-way thru my 11th pin on her "birthday board" on pinterest, I recalled a moment from my past. 

Allow me to set the scene: 7 months ago, I sat and listened as one of my co-workers described the details of her daughter's upcoming birthday party. It was going to be a BIG Deal. The mom spent almost every lunch break picking up items for the party,spent her nights crafting signs and had a big photo shoot for the girl. I though to myself, hmmm....For Elise's first birthday I bet we just do something small at the house with a few family members- no decorations or anything. It's not THAT big of a deal, I mean the kid won't even remember the party. 

Fast forward to the present: I'm pumped up about preparing for this event. It's still going to be at our house and won't involve any circus animals, but I GET.IT. I get why she was so excited and spent so much time preparing for the party. Because you LOVE your kids and celebrating their life is your reason for breathing! Plus, it's a great time to just acknowledge the fact that you and your spouse kept another human being alive and well for the last year! Now that's worth a party!

Guilty as charged

New mommy guilt is a real thing. And it seems to be only increasing as Elise grows older. Thus, I guess it should just be called 'mommy guilt' no need to add the new. 

I've prayed out loud for God's help more in the last couple of weeks than I have as far back as I can remember. Things aren't stressful (not more than one would anticipate) its just there are ALOT of things to second guess yourself on when you are in charge of another human being. And when your life is so dramatically different. Also, I think the fact that you love someone soooooooo much, your heart is a little more tender and more open to self-critism. Whatever the reason, guilt is a surprising addition to the already large array of emotions thrown at you in motherhood.  Ok, just for laughs, lets go over my recent favorites: I feel guilty for being a working mother, I feel guilty when I think she is too hot or cold, I feel guilty that I make her wear bows everyday and she probably is annoyed by them, I feel guilty when I look at my phone when she is around, I feel guilty when she scratches herself bc her finger nails need to be cut, I feel guilty when all I want is a nap and she wants to play with me. I feel guilty when the TV is on, I feel guilty that I don't do more creative activities with her like those moms on Pinterest do...

Wow. 

Didn't think I could come up with that many of the top of my head, did ya? 

All this time I thought parents were up all night worrying, hmmmm maybe they just are up feeling guilty about all their parenting mistakes??

Or both???

Ahhhh, the joys of parenting 

Mommy dont you dare forget

A letter to myself: 

Don't you dare forget how sweet this baby smells right after a bath( and pretty much anytime) don't forget how good it feels to have this warm body in your arms. Please don't forget how good these giggles and smiles make you feel. Please let my mind never let go of the sensation of her hand on my chest as she snoozes. Don't forget how fun bath time is with mommy and daddy singing silly songs to a sweet smiling girl with long brown bangs. Don't forget those lushes eyelashes that bat at you as she dreams.  As she grows and our life hurries along, please don't forget this soft skin that nustles in your neck. Lord in heaven please grant me this: that all these perfect moments stay strong in my mind. These moments that I live for and thirst for- let their memories not fade as time goes. Please preserve this for me. Unlike books that are weathered over time, please let these precious memories stay fresh and crisp. I love every single moment of this child's life and I want it to stand still so badly so I can really soak it in. But the world was not created to stand still. So instead I just plead with my own self to just cement these moments for later enjoyment. Please make sure to file these moments somewhere super safe. In the safety deposit box of the mind. Mommy- dont you dare forget. 

The best things we've experienced so far

A baby who is so calm and cool that she'll happily comply with a day on the golf course with mom and dad. Even if we strap her in white-trash style 

A beautiful girl who looks darn good in a tutu and like taking pictures

Happy girl who loved the beach! Not the water so much, but definitely that sand!! 

A curious child- fearless. She didn't even mind chowing down on a lime a couple times

Elise lately

Bath time fun!!!

This girl loves her bathes!!! We are so lucky to have such an easy going daughter

Great baby, terrible sleeper

Our baby is completely healthy and such a happy baby! I'm assuming God did not want to make all the other mommies jealous so He made her a terrible sleeper so that we would stay humble. And tired obviously. She is no doubt the biggest blessing we have been given. Our little blessing just did not come with an 'off' mode. or not one that we can find consistently. She doesn't sleep at day care for more than 30 minutes at a time, doesn't sleep soundly at night. She doesn't get the amount of sleep that her age should get...

So to look at the monitor and see this is like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow:

Breakfast with Elise

Just us two girls chatting over breakfast. What a wonderful Saturday morning

Growing up

Seems like once Elise hit the three/four month mark, she really started growing up fast. The first several months were just eating sleeping and pooping. (Just like everyone jokes about!)
Now every day is a new adventure and new milestone. Here's a little bit of what is new for Elise:

She can almost sit up by herself without toppiling over. She also loves her feet and they are constantly in her mouth

She started being fed rice cereal and baby food! So far we have tried : peaches, sweet potatoes and tonight we are planning on green beans!

She gets tired and passes out after too much play. This is photo evidence from day care.  

We had our first boo-boo. You can't really see it, but she has a little red mark on her forehead from where a clipboard fell on her. It actually happened at Day care while I was still there - I can testify it was a complete freak accident. To say the least, mommy was tardy going to work that day. Not going to leave my baby upset like that!



She is now sleeping on her tummy in her own bed. (in her own room) That's like 3 new things at once! I'm actually pretty proud of us considering we didnt think she would sleep in her own room until she was 10